Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
With Ms. Marvel, Disney+ Gives Us a Muslim Superhero. Great! But …

With Ms. Marvel, Disney+ Gives Us a Muslim Superhero. Great! But …

Last updated on: June 10, 2022 at 5:07 am by Paul Asay

With Ms. Marvel, Disney+ Gives Us a Muslim Superhero. Great! But … 2022-06-10T05:07:23-06:00 Paul Asay

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Iman Vellani as the title character in Ms. Marvel, screen shot courtesy Disney+ trailer

Kamala Khan is just an ordinary teen with an extraordinary twist.

Is it her powers? Her ability to stretch or create matter out of thin air? Nah. We’re talking about Marvel, after all. You can’t throw a rock in Times Square in the Marvel Cinematic Universe without hitting a superpowered individual. And given that Kamala is the protagonist of an MCU show called Ms. Marvel, well, the biggest twist would be if she didn’t have superpowers.

No, what makes Kamala Khan (played by Iman Vellani) truly special in Marvel’s ever-growing entertainment universe, is her faith. She’s a Muslim.

Her beliefs add a lot to Ms. Marvel, a miniseries that landed on Disney+ June 8. Kamala’s Islamic faith, and those of her family, add texture and humanity and, sometimes, even humor to the story. And in an odd sort of way, Kamala’s religion makes her more relatable to Christians who might be watching. Because while Islamic and Christian belief systems may be quite different, both types of adherents are balancing their devotion with the day-to-day realities and temptations of life. Living in faith is hard, and the pain points feel similar.

Kamala, like many a teen growing up in a conservative Christian household, treats her faith as a bit of an afterthought in Ms. Marvel. Yeah, sure, it’s important. It’s part of who she is. But she’s got grades and boys and family issues to deal with—not to mention these new superpowers. She goes to the mosque, but she’s almost always late. Her conservative mom can drive her a little bit crazy: Kamala would very much like to dress as Captain Marvel for something called “AvengersCon,” but Mom isn’t having it.

“You’re not going to dress like all those other girls in those skimpy outfits,” mother Muneeba tells her. “That is not you.”

As a kid who grew up in a conservative Christian family and didn’t like going to church all that much, I saw a lot of my teen self in Kamala. Rather than her faith being a wedge between me and the character, it was more of a bonding agent. She was raised differently than I was. And yet, I bet we’d have a lot of the same sorts of experiences.

But there’s more to it than that. I think even if I didn’t see some of myself in Kamala, I still think the fact that she’s Muslim makes her more interesting. While a lot of storytellers avoid dealing with religion in their stories for fear of alienating readers or viewers, Ms. Marvel illustrates something I’ve long believed. Faith can be a conduit to richer, deeper, more resonant stories.

Even as the United States grows more secular, religion is still a huge part of so many of our lives. Those of us who espouse a belief system know that it can impact everything we do. It shapes how we raise our kids or interact with our parents. It impacts how we do our jobs. Faith is as much a part of us as our right arms are—and for many, even more critical in how we live.

Because it’s such a prime driver for us, religion is inherently interesting. It’s a great catalyst for both conflict and change. It can hold characters back or propel them forward. It shapes how characters deal with other people, society and, most importantly, how they navigate their own complex natures.

Kamala’s own character is a better, more compelling one because of her faith.

But while I like how Kamala’s Muslim beliefs enrich her story, I sure would love to see more Christians as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—characters that share my beliefs and are clearly shaped by them.

According to the Pew Research Center, Muslims make up 1 percent of the U.S. population. Christians make up 63 percent. A quarter of the U.S. is made up of “born-again/evangelical” protestants, and more than 40% of Americans say that religion is “very important” in their lives.

But Christian superheroes in Marvel—and certainly the Marvel Cinematic Universe–are rare. You can point to Captain America in the original Avengers flick, when he talks about the “one God.” You can look at a scene or two—funerals, if my memory serves—that take place in a church. And, of course, you can point to Daredevil, a deeply conflicted Catholic who now lives at least on the fringes of the MCU.

But outside Daredevil, we don’t really see any Marvel superheroes embrace or talk about or wrestle or even mention their faith. And that’s a shame.

Sure, it’s a shame from the point of view of Christians like me who watch and enjoy the MCU. While Marvel has made a huge point to diversify its stable of superheroes—to give its fans people who look and sound and act like them—it ignores a huge, wildly underserved niche.

But it also does all those other readers and viewers a disservice, too. You only need look at Daredevil to see how giving a character a sense of faith can make him deeper and more complex and, thus, more compelling. In a universe filled with Norse gods and Egyptian deities and magic and even witchcraft, is it so outlandish to give us a few more characters that believe there’s sense in all this chaos? That there’s one God above it all? And one that, in a world of saviors, sent a Savior Himself?

Seems like such characters might enrich the MCU—give it added heft and opportunity to explore the beauties and paradoxes and pain points that so many of us Christians experience every day.

Kamala Khan—Ms. Marvel—is a worthy new entry to the MCU. It’d be great if she’d help pave the way for a few Christian superheroes, too.

Previous Post

May 26, 2022

Director Alex Garland Has More Than ‘Men’ on His Mind: He’s Thinking About God, Too

Next Post

June 17, 2022 ‘Stay Prayed Up’ Shows the Power of Gospel Music (and the Gospel Message, Too)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books celebrities Editor's Choice games movies music news sports superheroes television Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 December 2025 October 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 September 2023 March 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 December 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said: "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A voice from heaven (or the multitude) Jesus An angel John

Books by This Author Books by Paul Asay

See All Titles »